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Artist
Tim McIlrath
12+ albums
acousticpunk rockpop rockfolk rockBest Singer ever
about
Tim McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is the lead singer for the American melodic hardcore band Rise Against. He is known for his versatile voice, and is able to sing softly, scratchy and frantic, or an all out scream. He is also a competent guitarist; during Rise Against's time without a second guitarist, McIlrath filled this role. Timothy J. McIlrath was born in 1978 in Indianapolis, Indiana. At a young age he read books such as 1984 by George Orwell, and A Brave New World, which would later influence his later work. As a child in Catholic (Our Lady of the Wayside) school in Arlington Heights, IL, he was taunted for having one brown eye and one blue eye, known as heterochromia. Fellow classmates thought this a mark of the beast. He began his musical career in his teenage years; he was very active in the Chicago local alternative rock/punk scene. His first band was the Post-Hardcore band .baxter. along with future The Lawrence Arms drummer Neil Hennessy. Their first release was a full length, self released, cassete, Troy's Bucket which was released in 1996. Troy's Bucket was met with warm reception from the scene, and .baxter. became a popular band in the Chicago underground scene. In 1997 they released a 7" EP Lost Voices on Static Station Records. After some local touring, the band split up. Tim was then in the first incarnation of The Honor System. He sang on their demo and on some songs on their debut album Single File. Tim then joined a metalcore band called Arma Ang
